L.A. Studio Champions Elegance and Craftsmanship in 20th Century Design

L.A. Studio’s expansive 7,500-square-foot design gallery, contemporary art gallery and interior design studio in the exclusive Salamanca district of Madrid.

L.A. Studio Champions Elegance and Craftsmanship 
in 20th Century Design

By Benjamin Genocchio

Photos courtesy L.A. Studio Interiorismo

Carlos López, owner of L.A. Studio Interiorismo in Madrid, is a treasure hunter — the Spanish dealer focuses on the search for unique and special pieces of 20th-century design. Almost 30 years ago, he began assembling a large and remarkable collection of design pieces from around the world, with an emphasis on now iconic French and Italian modern design. Today, he runs one of the largest, most important design galleries in Spain, selling not only vintage pieces but a growing inventory of his own contemporary designs — often based on, or incorporating vintage pieces. Incollect spoke with López about his collection, the enduring elegance and importance of European artisanal craftsmanship, and his belief in incorporating the best of the past and present to design furniture for the future.

Tell us about your gallery in Madrid.

Our gallery is located in a massive 700-square-meter space in a converted former bakery at Calle Castelló 8, in the heart of the Salamanca district of the city, one of the most exclusive areas in Madrid. It is a hybrid space that combines a design gallery, contemporary art gallery, and interior design studio, allowing us to display art and design in a ‘real world’ context, rather than a more sterile gallery format. We have a dedicated following here in Europe and beyond, and we regularly welcome international interior designers and collectors who visit the gallery to purchase for residential and commercial projects.

Gallery vignette with a contemporary Italian curved sofa, a pair of postmodern Scandinavian Ekstrem yellow armchairs designed in 1984 by Terje Ekstrøm, and the Arti table in plexiglass and wood by Milanese Studio Superego.

It sounds like you have several different businesses operating under the same roof.

That is correct. L.A. Studio is a large-scale business project with several lines of work that coexist naturally. In addition to the gallery and the sale of pieces through Incollect online, we develop international interior design projects, some of which have been published in major media outlets, such as AD Spain, France, and Mexico, Elle Decor Spain and Italy, Nuevo Estilo magazine in Spain, and the Financial Times internationally.

You also refurbish and restore furniture onsite, is that correct?

We have an in-house workshop and a team of more than 10 specialized artisans who evaluate and, if necessary, refurbish each piece in the inventory before it is shipped to a client. This allows us to offer personalized restoration, reupholstering, and adaptation services while respecting the integrity of each object. We also have electricians among our team, so lighting can be electrified and certified for both Europe and the United States, which greatly facilitates international purchases.

From L.A. Studio’s large selection of French mirrors: At left, a sculptural concave mirror in blue and yellow molded glass with colored lenses. Right, a convex mirror with patinated textured metal frame. Due to its shape, it will reflect the entire room in a wide-angle panoramic image.

What commercial and logistical facilities do you offer clients?

We have extensive experience in international shipping. We design and manufacture custom packaging for each piece, ensuring maximum protection during transport, both for works  of art and large-format furniture. We work with specialized logistics operators and regularly manage shipments to the United States, Europe, and other international markets.

We also offer a commercial discount of 10% to 20% for design professionals, depending on the value of the purchase, which is important for interior designers, architects, and decorators who work with us on a regular basis.

Left: A contemporary Italian coffee table, base in black lacquered metal with brass details, top composed of concave orange mirror layered with a clear glass top. Right: A pair of vintage 1950 Fiorenza armchairs by Franco Albini. Steam bent ash frame with characteristic “X” shape side supports, high wingback and integrated armrests combining aesthetic balance and advanced ergonomics for its time. Upholstered in a rich graphite blue wool fabric. Italy, 1950.

What led you initially to become a designer and dealer?

My decision to become a design and furniture dealer was natural and somewhat unintentional. I am from a family of antique dealers, so I grew up surrounded by furniture, objects, and design pieces. My family taught me from a young age to value quality, proportion, and craftsmanship. I began my career as an interior designer, but realized that I didn’t just want to design spaces; I wanted to work directly with objects that carried history, intention, and aesthetic weight. Becoming a dealer was to me a logical extension of that decision.

In L.A. Studio Interiorismo’s gallery, curated vintage pieces sit beside contemporary custom works, statement lighting and a variety of unique French convex and concave mirrors, one of their specialties.

What qualities do you admire in design and seek out?

Intuition is fundamental to my selection process of objects. I am interested in acquiring pieces I truly believe in, regardless of fleeting fashions or trends. For me, building a collection with a distinct visual language is more important than responding to whatever the market expects at any given moment. I especially value the construction quality in a design and pieces that exude a special quality, allowing them to remain relevant and visually interesting over time.

How would you describe the L.A. Studio aesthetic sensibility?

I would define our sensibility as eclectic, but always highly considered. We are interested in mixing periods and styles, where personal taste takes precedence over chronology or authorship. We are drawn to pieces with strong character, as well as balance and elegance. We believe in the natural coexistence of different materials, languages, and eras.

As interior designers, we aim to create spaces with soul that are both coherent and truly livable. We come from a period marked by an overly cold minimalism, and we believe in interiors that reflect the personality of those who inhabit them. The mixing of styles, the use of color, and the constant presence of contemporary art are recurring elements in our interior design projects. We also do art direction for fashion brands, corporate presentations, and events, as well as renting pieces for film or advertising productions, but the philosophy is the same.

Left: The Demistella Console by Ettore Sottsass, founder of the Memphis Group. A statement piece blending bold postmodern lines, color blocking, and a traditional material palette of fine marble and wood. Italy, circa 1980s. Right: Matthew Barney, Cremaster 5: Her Giant, 1997. C-print in acrylic frame. Signed and dated '97, with artist's stamp on the reverse. Edition 6/6.

Which pieces in your showroom do you especially admire?

In terms of design, I would highlight the Demistella console by Ettore Sottsass, which perfectly embodies the spirit of the Memphis design group in its questioning of traditional canons of beauty. Among artworks, I would point to a photograph by Matthew Barney, taken from one of his films, that combines both contemporaneity with an almost anachronistic baroque quality and brings a strong sculptural presence to a space. The work was bought at auction at Sotheby’s and was originally sold by the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York.

Do you have a “holy grail” as a dealer?

Working constantly with exceptional pieces means that the wish list evolves. More than a specific object, our “holy grail” is finding truly unique pieces—rare, with a clear history, and in exceptional condition. At present, we are fascinated by the furniture designs of fashion designer Rick Owens, whose creations successfully combine the ancient and the contemporary with a strong mystical component.

Left: Contemporary pendant lamp model "Brilli D" designed by Jacopo Foggini. Handcrafted in cast methacrylate in different gold and brown color shades, made in Italy. Right: Pair of 5-light wall sconces handcrafted in Murano glass. Hand-blown and hand-worked glass, featuring a ribbed texture that looks like stylized floral forms and a translucent finish in soft ivory and subtle amber tones.

Italian glass and lighting are a passion of yours—why is that?

Without a doubt. Italian glass and lighting reached a level of technical and expressive excellence during the 20th century that is difficult to equal. We deeply value fine craftsmanship and high-quality manufacturing, and in this sense, Italy has always been a benchmark. We are particularly interested in how light becomes an almost sculptural element, capable of transforming space. Designers working in glass from the period that we admire include Carlo Scarpa, Gio Ponti, Carlo Nason, Toni Zuccheri, Barovier & Toso, Seguso, and Flavio Poli.

L.A. Studio also designs and manufactures furniture. How did this part of the business develop?

This aspect emerged organically from our work as interior designers and gallerists. In many projects, we identified the need for a specific piece for a particular space and decided to design it ourselves. Over time, this process led us to develop our own line of unique and highly personal pieces.

We manufacture several different kinds of display cabinets and sideboards, all of which are our own designs. We manufacture them in Italy, working with artisanal workshops that specialize in solid wood and hand carving. We are interested in reviving as well as supporting traditional techniques — carving, assembly, hand finishing — combined with contemporary design. We also design and make French mirrors, which are again unique and handcrafted by artists and artisans. Many of them are made with a convex shape and beveled or optical lenses, which provide a special depth and distortion. They are very striking visually; sculptural pieces that serve both as functional objects and as decorative elements with great impact.

Where are your pieces produced?

Primarily in Italy, working with artisans who preserve traditional craft techniques, although we also collaborate with workshops here in Spain and with younger makers who reinterpret craft practices with an innovative contemporary perspective.

Your glass-clad sideboards are spectacular — are these all your own designs, or do you also rework vintage cabinets?

That's a very good question, because several processes come together in these case pieces. We work in two different ways, depending on the project and the desired piece. On the one hand, we use carefully selected antique or vintage furniture from the 1950s to the 1970s, generally sideboards and chests of drawers of high structural quality, which we redesign and reinterpret by incorporating artistic Murano glass, made specifically for each piece of furniture. In these cases, the glass is designed specifically for the piece and integrated as a new contemporary language on a historical base, in addition to covering the joints of the glass and the hardware on the fronts with brass. Each one requires three different master craftsmen to produce, which is laborious as the work is all done by hand.

On the other hand, we also design and manufacture the entire piece of furniture, from the structure to the glass fronts, working directly with the artisans in Italy. In both cases, the glass is fully customizable in terms of design, color, texture, and finish, and is always made to order. This allows us to adapt each piece to the customer's needs and ensure that no two are alike.

Clients and designers love these glass-front pieces because they naturally combine tradition and modernity. They also play with transparency, with reflections, and volume, and are highly versatile, fitting in with a range of interior projects and styles.

What are your plans for the future?

We remain focused on expanding our collection, strengthening international collaborations, and developing new design and interior design projects. During the summer, we relocate our showroom to warmer destinations such as Marbella, Mallorca, or even Ibiza, to bring our inventory closer to an affluent, international audience without losing our identity.

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